Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Friday. New Hope-Solebury/William Tennent photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Pennsbury photo provided by Pennsbury field hockey, and New Hope-Solebury senior photo provided by NHS hockey.)
SOL Patriot
PENNSBURY 2, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
Senior Day games are wonderfully exciting and very special, but also extremely distracting and a little chaotic. Photo shoots, disrupted warm-ups, and sentimental announcements shift the player and coach focus of pregame, and the rattled routine causes coaches like Traci Curtis to feel out of sorts as the clock ticks to 3:30.
“The sound of the starting whistle today was like a jolt to my already pounding heart,” Curtis said. “I just don’t like feeling unprepared when we hit the field, and Senior Days can do that to you – especially this year because my daughter is a senior on the team.
“I was in (a very proud) parent role right before we started and then had to jump back into coach mode in the huddle. The first time we played CR South we lost 7-0, so we anticipated the level of challenge, and our captains set small goals for the team. There were things we just wanted to walk away having done better than the first meeting – exactly the same way they went into the Neshaminy game on Wednesday.”
The Falcons not only met those small goals, but they walked away with an upset against the top team in the Patriot Division. It was like a Miracle movie moment, just without the ice, Olympic theme, or Hollywood stars. Although there was much less at stake than the referenced movie, it was transformative for this Pennsbury squad and felt just as cinematic.
With every senior in the starting lineup, the Falcons held the Hawks in the first quarter and went into the second tied at zero. Back on Sept. 17, South had already racked up three goals in the first fifteen minutes. This was progress in action once again.
“We tweaked our lineup a tiny bit after the first quarter to capitalize on our speed as we were getting offensive opportunities, but needed to up the pace of our playing,” Curtis said.
The score was still at zeros going into the half, and it was feeling a little bit like deja vu. Curtis recalls how the Neshaminy game went the same exact way.
“We were just trying to stay hyper focused, but calm and capitalize on every opportunity we had,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We definitely had South rattled and off their game, so it was up to us to take advantage and embrace the success we were having.”
The game was pretty even from end to end with the Hawks earning more penalty corners (8) than the Falcons (1).
“Our defense is just incredible, and they have really become a tight-knit unit who recognizes what each other needs in any given moment,” Curtis said. “Goalie Jordan Vradenburgh played so smart in the cage for 60 minutes and is the backbone of the defensive 25. Today she dove, slid, cleared, and popped up for rebounds really well – it is so much fun to watch that kid just own her space. She is extremely talented, and a game like today is proof of what is inside of her.
“Gabby Darling, Sophia Curtis, Olivia Graebner, Helena Sosa, and Jenna Outcalt are the builders of the brick wall that denied South’s offensive attempts. South comes into the circle strong, but we proved stronger today and did it together.”
The Cinderella story started to take shape with four minutes left in the third quarter when EB Rafferty crossed the ball, and Meg McClure found the back of the cage to give Pennsbury the lead. “Those two worked so well together in this game and truly made such a difference for us,” Curtis said.
The score remained 1-0 into the fourth, and PHS seemed to have the upper hand in possession as well. The coaches were working double time to be strategic with formation, clock management, and a 15-minute plan to hold onto the fragile lead. The strategies worked and a minute and a half into the fourth, Meg McClure did some more damage on another assist from EB Rafferty. The Falcons now led 2-0 and were playing like a well-oiled machine.
“McClure is such an overall amazing player,” Curtis said. “She is scrappy, smart, fast, and knows how to handle the ball on the right like a champ. We were not content or feeling safe even with a 2-0 lead. There were still 13 minutes left to play, and knowing CR South, a lot could happen.”
With the help of Jaclyn Gorgo, Molly Murray, and Liz Jordan, PHS found a way to take care of the ball and keep possession, using incredibly accurate passing and communication.
“Those three players have taken their game to new heights in the past two weeks,” Curtis said. “We love the decision making and creativity they have brought to our game. They have such important roles and make a huge impact.”
As the final seconds ran out, the Pennsbury sideline went crazy, and the coaches stood speechless.
“This was the biggest win we have had since starting here three years ago,” Curtis said. “It brings us joy that the seniors shared this experience today and will have this memory to take with them. Congratulations to Sophia Curtis, Liz Jordan, Pranita Madaka, Lily Morgan, Jenna Outcalt, EB Rafferty, and Helena Sosa.
“This game is for all the underdogs out there – Yes. You. Can.”
Pennsbury (7-8, 6-8 SOL) will host Conwell at 3:00 pm Saturday and then travel to Harry S Truman on Monday. Council Rock South (9-7, 9-5) – 18th in the latest District One 3A rankings – will host Bensalem on Monday.
NESHAMINY 7, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Six different players scored goals for the Redskins, who were led by the two-goal effort of Kasey Rieger. It was Rieger turning a Caitlyn Colyar pass into a goal that put the Redskins on top 1-0 midway through the opening period.
In the second quarter, Neshaminy erupted for four goals. Emily Papeo scored with an assist from Abby Perkins, and then it was Olivia Roscoe connecting on an unassisted goal. Mia Martin (Papeo assist) scored with 1:50 remaining in the half, and a minute later, Avery McGinty connected on an unassisted goal to send the Redskins into halftime with a 5-0 advantage.
Rieger found the cage early in the third quarter, and midway through the fourth, Molly Courtney connected on an unassisted goal to close out the scoring.
Neshaminy (11-5, 9-5 SOL) – 16th in the District One 3A rankings – will host Council Rock North on Monday, and Harry S Truman (0-14, 0-13) will host Pennsbury on Monday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 1-4-1-1 7
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 6, BENSALEM 0
The Indians, who dominated play in Friday’s contest, saw seven different players contribute to the scoring. Brenna Schoenfeld led the way, scoring one goal and assisting on three others. Paige Matthews had a pair of goals while Ali Carpentier added a goal and an assist. Megan Reichenbach and Charlotte Ondria each had one goal while Brynn Bogle and Julie Ondria both chipped in an assist.
North held a decided advantage in shots (22-0) and corners (17-4).
Council Rock North (6-10, 5-9 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Monday, and Bensalem (2-12) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Monday.
SOL Colonial
SOUDERTON 3, NORTH PENN 1
The Knights have been scoring goals in bunches – 55 in an eight-game winning streak they brought into Friday’s Colonial Division showdown that pitted their high-powered offense against the Indians’ stingy defense.
It was the Indians’ defense that had the edge in a tightly contested battle.
“Our defense has had a great season,” Souderton junior Lauren Frye said. “Keeping the ball out of the middle was key for us because their middle is very strong.”
Souderton’s win – highlighted by a pair of goals from junior Ava Shaw – capped a week that included games against the Indians’ fiercest SOL competitors – Central Bucks South, Central Bucks East and North Penn.
The Indians made it a clean sweep and – with the win – clinched sole possession of the SOL Colonial Division title with three games remaining in the regular season.
“This week was a very, very hard week for us,” Frye said. “CB South, CB East and North Penn are all very good games, and the competition between the three of us – all the talent matches. Anyone can win any game– it was whoever came out strongest, whoever wanted it more.
“Even though we didn’t play the best game against East (a 1-0 win), we still came out with a win. Against CB South, we fought hard for it, and this game was really a tough one for us. They’re good, we’re good, and it’s whoever comes out hardest and wants it more.”
The Indians took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest when Shaw scored an unassisted goal. It took less than a minute for the Knights to get that back when Riley O’Donnell banged home a rebound, knotting the score 1-1.
“They’re really quick on their free hits, which really got us at times,” Frye said. “After our goal, they were probably like, ‘We need to come back,’ so their intensity was high.
“Honestly, just keeping our composure really helps us stay in it. I think we kept our composure pretty well. I think we did this whole week.”
With three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, the Indians took a lead they would not lose on Shaw’s second goal – this one with an assist from Frye. That 2-1 score stood until Olivia Nogami scored six minutes into the fourth quarter, giving the Indians their final margin of victory.
Souderton coach Sue Casciato acknowledged that using the whole field was a point of emphasis.
“We worked on that yesterday at practice,” the Indians’ coach said. “And just trying to be patient, don’t force the ball because we do try to give the ball to Lauren (Kenah) too soon. We used both sides of the field well. Ang (Borisow) distributed the ball awesomely.”
Casciato pointed to the strong play of the right side of the field – Ava Shaw (right forward), Lauren Frye (right mid) and Grace DeMarzio (right back) – as key.
“They all played really well,” the Indians’ coach said. “Our right side really struggled against East – they would all admit they didn’t have their best games, and today they were really on.
“I’m impressed by how much running our forwards can do and still run so fast in the fourth quarter when they’ve been out there for 60 minutes.”
The Indians held a slight edge in shots (13-9) and corners (9-8).
North Penn goalie Kiera Holt was credited with nine saves while Souderton’s Tegan Farina had seven. Linsey Gilbert was credited with a defensive save for the Knights.
“(We) had some trouble adjusting to the slower pace of the turf at Souderton and didn’t capitalize on our offensive corners and opportunities,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “Well played game by the Souderton goalie.”
Souderton is the top seed in the latest District One 3A power rankings.
“After we were a little flat against East, we played much better today,” Casciato said. “North Penn is probably our primary competitor just from the rivalry standpoint and from the standpoint that we know they have a really strong team this year.
“When I look at our roster and I look at the game I feel like everybody on the team played really well. Our connections were really good, and to play that well against a good team – I told my girls for the first time today – ‘You deserve to be number one after the week we had.’”
Souderton (14-1, 13-0 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Monday, and North Penn (12-4, 10-4) will host Central Bucks South on Monday. The Knights are the 10th seed in the latest District One 6A power rankings while the Titans are seeded ninth.
North Penn 1-0-0-0 1
Souderton 2-0-0-1 3
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The visiting Titans – who were without one of their captains – made the most of their scoring opportunities to defeat their neighboring rival.
“We were concerned about playing a very strong CB East team without one of our captains, Anna Shirley,” South coach Pat Toner said. “We needed to change our offensive and defensive corners and come up with a way to hold off CB East’s talented team.
“Erin Smith stepped up and played a mid position for us today. She and Julia Cooper played their hearts out, leading our team to a hard-fought win. CB East’s defense gave us very few scoring chances, allowing only three shots on goal and one penalty corner, but (we) made the most of our chances by scoring twice on three shots.”
Julia Cooper spotted the Titans a 1-0 lead when she scored on a strong individual effort with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
“Julia dribbled through CB East’s defense and hit a reverse shot into the goal,” Toner said.
It was still just a 1-0 game heading into the final quarter when Bella Schute turned a Marielle Mauri pass into a goal with just under five minutes remaining in the contest.
“We gave up eight penalty corners, but the defense held strong and maintained the shutout,” Toner said. “Grace and Lily Haag along with Sarah Cooper played excellent defense today and minimized CB East’s ability to get rebounds or clean shots on goal. Congrats to both teams!”
South goalie Emma Kraft was credited with six saves in a contest that saw the Patriots hold a 6-3 edge in shots.
“It was a fairly even game stat-wise with lots of back-and-forth play,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “Though we held an advantage in corners, there was some disconnect, and we couldn’t capitalize. The team played with a lot of heart, but ultimately, we just couldn’t get it done.”
South’s win created a logjam in the Colonial Division standings. Three teams – CB South, CB East and North Penn – are battling for second place behind Souderton in the standings. All three have identical 10-4 records in conference play.
Central Bucks South (11-4, 10-4 SOL) – ninth in the latest District One 3A power rankings, will travel to North Penn on Monday, and Central Bucks East (11-5, 10-4) will be on the road at Central Bucks West for a 7 p.m. contest. The Patriots are seeded 13th in the latest rankings.
Central Bucks South 0-1-0-1 2
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Liberty
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, UPPER DUBLIN 2 (OT)
Molly Lynch scored an unassisted goal with 3:24 remaining in overtime, bringing a dramatic end to Friday’s overtime thriller.
“It was a very physical game, but our team stayed composed and stepped up to the challenge,” PW coach Jessica Randazzo said. “They played with heart until the very last whistle.
“We get back out on Monday versus Abington and, hopefully, will bring the momentum and adrenaline into these next few games.”
Despite the outcome, UD coach Emma Town was ecstatic with her team’s gritty effort.
“It was a great game,” the Cardinals’ first-year coach said. “My adrenaline is still going. I think the last time Upper Dublin beat PW was 1999, I’ve been told. This is probably the closest we’ve gotten in years.
“The last time we played them they had 17 corners. Today we had 10, they only had seven.”
The Colonials got on the scoreboard with 2:40 remaining in the opening quarter when Ava Matthias turned a Molly Lynch pass into a goal and a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, the Flying Cardinals answered with a goal by Aviva Kuznits.
“It was a beautiful hit into the circle from Mason Coleman and a tip by Aviva Kuznits up into the top corner,” Town said. “My girls have a rule that you score two minutes after, and they did it. We answered back within two minutes of their goal.”
That 1-1 score stood until just over two minutes into the third quarter when the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead after Olivia Vitella connected on a corner shot. Six minutes later, the Colonials evened the score with Lynch connecting on the equalizer.
In the fourth quarter, UD goalie Dara Fishman came up with a huge save on a PW penalty stroke, extending the game into overtime.
“That so gave me gray hairs,” Town said. “My goalie shut it straight down. She just hit it straight out of the air. It was beautiful, and it kept us in the game. It was very exciting stuff.”
Overtime featured end to end action that was capped with Lynch’s game-winner.
“I think they had one corner against us in overtime and we had two or three, but unfortunately, we couldn’t convert,” Town said. “We went 12 minutes of overtime with them.
“Two years ago, when my seniors were sophomores, they scored 10 goals against us. I’ve never seen PW so happy to beat Upper Dublin. Usually, they’re like, ‘This is just another one in the bag.’ It was a physical, hard-fought game.”
Town credited one of her team’s unsung heroes.
“Mason Coleman is always the hardest worker on the field, no matter which game it is,” the UD coach said. “I could probably say that each one of them had the best game of their life today individually.”
Randazzo, like her counterpart, credited her entire squad.
“It really was a whole team effort throughout the game,” the PW coach said.
For the Cardinals, Fishman was credited with 17 saves in a standout effort in goal.
“She had a phenomenal game, one of the best of her life,” Town said. “She played smart.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-2-1, 12-1-1 SOL) – 12th in the latest District One 3A power rankings – will be on the road at Abington on Monday, and Upper Dublin (7-7) – 10th in the Class 2A district rankings – will travel to Wissahickon on Monday for a 7 p.m. contest.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-0-1-0-1 3
Upper Dublin 1-0-1-0-0 2
ABINGTON 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Maura Calladanato put the Ghosts on the scoreboard in the second quarter, and that proved to be the game-winner as they went on to earn the 2-0 win.
“It was good to see the team bounce back after a tough loss to Wissahickon (5-0) on Wednesday,” Abington coach Katie Small said. “It took us a while to figure out the grass surface, but we connected well with middle of the field passes and intercepting their hard drives.”
Calladanato’s goal with 2:34 remaining in the opening half came on the deflection of a pass by Erica Devlin. Five minutes into the third quarter, the Ghosts tacked on an insurance goal by Maddie Slavin assisted by Kyra Malanowski.
“We were able to capitalize on a broken corner for our second goal,” said Small, going to on acknowledge the strong showings of several players. “Camryn Stewart and Olivia Dougherty both had nice games controlling the middle of the field for us.”
Abington (10-6, 9-5 SOL) – 21st in the latest District One 3A power rankings – will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, and Hatboro-Horsham (1-13-1, 1-12-1) will travel to Quakertown on Monday (6 p.m.)
Abington 0-1-1-0 2
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0 0
WISSAHICKON 3, QUAKERTOWN 0
Sparked by a pair of Brynne Miller goals, the visiting Trojans moved one step closer to clinching a division title, opening up an early 1-0 lead and adding a pair of late goals to earn the win.
Miller (Ella Hummel assist) connected on a goal that turned out to be the game-winner with eight minutes remaining in the first half. Miller’s second goal came with 7:32 remaining in the contest, this time with a Sophia Havrilla assist. Kendall Crowley’s goal two minutes later with Hummel’s second assist of the contest gave the Trojans their final margin of victory.
Wissahickon’s Julianna Thomas recorded just one save in the shutout win. Quakertown goalie Kylie Lerch was credited with 14 saves in a strong outing.
“We played a good game against a really strong Wissahickon team,” Quakertown coach Kate Kemp said. “We had opportunities to score but couldn’t capitalize on our offensive corners.”
Wissahickon (15-1, 14-0 SOL) – third in the District One 3A power rankings – will host Upper Dublin for its Senior Night game on Monday at 7 p.m. Quakertown (7-8, 6-7) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Monday at 6 p.m.
Wissahickon 0-1-0-2 3
Quakertown 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Freedom
LOWER MORELAND 6, CHELTENHAM 0
The visiting Lions opened up a 3-0 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win.
“(We) found our offense today,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “We moved the ball and kept the offensive pressure going throughout the game.
“We’ve been working on some positioning and changing some things with our offense, and the girls have been great with their flexibility and willingness to try new things. Our entire group of 20 saw playing time and helped contribute to this win today.”
Senior Kylie Hopkins opened the scoring, and then it was Zoe Karros – who also had an assist – finding the cage to give the Lions a 2-0 lead after one quarter. The Lions never looked back.
Junior Liz Neeld contributed two goals and an assist, and Meredith Lutter rounded out the scoring with the final two goals and an assist. Jess Shein, Jess Pachman and Bri Rocha each contributed an assist.
Defensively, LM goalie Sarah Rosala had four saves with Jess Shein and Meredith Lutter each collecting a defensive save.
Lower Moreland (8-8, 6-8 SOL) – fifth in the latest District One 1A power rankings – will take on Springfield Township on Monday at 7 p.m. in what could be a preview of a district playoff matchup later this month. The Spartans are ranked fourth in the latest rankings. Cheltenham (0-12) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Monday.
Lower Moreland 2-1-2-1 6
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0 0
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 5, UPPER MORELAND 0
The visiting Spartans raced out of the gate to 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win.
Anna Jablokov got the ball rolling for the Spartans, connecting on a pair of goals in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Annie Coll and Emma Yoder each added a goal for the 4-0 advantage.
Stella Nelson closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter, using a Norah Conlin assist.
The Spartans held a 17-1 advantage in shots and a 5-1 edge in corners.
Springfield Township (10-5, 9-4 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland Monday for a 7 p.m. contest. Upper Moreland (4-12, 3-11) will be on the road at William Tennent for a 5 p.m. contest.
Springfield Township 2-2-0-1 5
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 6, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Lions celebrated their team’s three seniors – Jessica Kinker, Lydia Eastburn and Kathryn Thistlewaite – by notching a convincing shutout win over the visiting Panthers under the lights on Friday night.
In the opening quarter, Laura Genova turned an Avery Mendola assist into a goal and a 1-0 lead. In the second quarter, Ava Cozza (Madie Thistlewaite assist) and Mia Patino (Mendola assist) each added a goal to send the Lions into halftime with a 3-0 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Lions added a pair of goals – the first by Patino with an Ava Cozza assist and the second by Sophia Cozza assisted by Madie Thistlewaite. Patino completed her hat trick in the fourth quarter, scoring with a Sophia Cozza assist.
New Hope-Solebury (12-2-1, 11-2-1 SOL) – the top seed in the District One 1A power rankings – will host Cheltenham on Monday, and William Tennent (1-10-1) will host Upper Moreland on Monday (5 p.m.).
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 1-2-2-1 6
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